


Saving the Healer

by TheShatteredRose



Category: Etrian Odyssey Series
Genre: M/M, Short Story, hinted slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 17:04:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShatteredRose/pseuds/TheShatteredRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lynus is a frontline medic, a rarity in Lagaard. And he soon learns that there are some guilds out there that are willing to do whatever it takes to get a medic on their team – even kidnapping! Will Lynus’ own guild, the Guardians, be able to save him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story has no connection to "Cease the Suffering". The character names are the same, but there really is no connection. This is actually the first story I've written for EO, so it's pretty short and to the point.

In the world of adventurers, there were a few things that were required to live through the day; sheer strength, luck and intelligence. Knowing when to stand and fight, or to run and try again another day.

Another important thing was to make sure there was a place close by that one could go to to heal any and all wounds.

Fortunately, in the town of Lagaard, they had such necessities. The Inn, where one could sleep all day and rest their weary bodies. The Sitoth Trading where medicines could be purchased. And the other was the Lagaard Hospital, a place where one could revive fallen comrades.

And because of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth just outside of town, one that drew in adventurers and explorers from far and wide, the Hospital was always very busy. But recently the hospital had been busy more than usual. Dangerous monsters in the labyrinth were one thing. But now they had to deal with a shipwreck as well. 

It was no wonder that call for medics was released.

Lynus was one of a few medics in Lagaard to respond. He had just returned from a short item fetching trip in the labyrinth with his fellow guild members when Barkeep Cass called out to him, telling him about the report. What else could a medic do but answer the call for help and head straight over to the hospital?

"There, try not to move around too much," Lynus said as he tied off the bandaged around an elderly Ronin's leg. "The wound is pretty deep. I healed it as much as was possible, but you still need to rest it for a day or two."

The Ronin was silent as he stretched out his leg, a very slight wince on his face. Still, he seemed rather impress with the movement he had. Leaning heavily on his katana, he heaved himself up onto his feet, putting as little pressure on his injured leg as he could. He then turned to Lynus and bowed lowly.

"I am in your debt," he said, his voice level and somehow serene, despite his expression being stony and bleak.

Lynus shook his head. "Oh no, that's not necessary. I'm just glad that I could be of help."

Another moment of silence stretched between them, Lynus shifting uncomfortably under the ronin's powerful gaze. Then, a very small smile appeared on his lips and he bowed once more. "You have my gratitude," he spoke before turning around and slowly walking away, using his blade as a walking aid.

Lynus watched him leave, making sure that he didn't put any more strain on his body than necessary. Satisfied that the older man was being cautious with his limitations, Lynus turned his attention to his next patient. The only hospital in Lagaard was full of injured explorers and survivors of the shipwreck. All in all, it was an average and busy day.

He had been here for hours and had forgotten how many people he had already helped. The ship that wrecked on the coast line happened to be a people carry, explorers who were eager to get rich and famous from exploring the labyrinth. They weren’t expecting such a welcome.

“Lynus!” a voice called out his name. Lynus turn toward the sound of the voice, immediately seeing the head doctor of Lagaard Hospital walking over to him. He had a tired but satisfied look on his face as he began to pull off the bloodied gloves on his hands.

"Thanks you so much for all your hard work!" Dr Stiles said, throwing the bloody gloves into a trash can to his side. "You're young, yet so skilled with healing. I'm very impressed. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here to help.”

Lynus gave a one shoulder shrug, not sure how to reply to such praise. He was just glad that he was useful in some manner, and that the patients weren’t as badly injured as first feared.

“It’s rare to find such a young medic who has experience being in the labyrinth,” Dr Stiles continued to speak as he took a seat on an empty bench, taking a moment of rest before he dealt with the other less injured patients. “You’ve probably ventured deeper into the labyrinth than anyone here.”

Lynus scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. “I’m nothing special,” he insisted. “It’s my guild members who deserve the praise. It’s because of them that I managed to even enter the labyrinth.”

Unlike a few of the other explorers here in Lagaard, Lynus wasn’t all that interested in the riches or the myth of the floating castle. He was a healer, something that had always fascinated him since he was just a small child. He’s eager to explore the labyrinth just so he could develop his healer abilities.

That and his childhood best friend, Axel, also wanted to explore the labyrinth. Actually, Axel was the reason why he was even able to come. While Lynus himself wasn’t strong physically, or had much fighting experience, Axel was different. He was a Landsknecht. He was able to use both a sword and an axe. His strength was amazing. 

They were complete opposites, really. In skills and appearance. Axel was taller than him by at least a foot. He had red hair and blue eyes. His skin was a light bronze in colour, really making his hair stand out. He was truly an outdoors kind of guy, preferring to be doing something physical.

And Lynus? He was short, skinny with pale skin, violet eyes and light orange hair. Hair that he tried to keep out of his eyes, but no matter what, three or four strands would always fall over his face, no matter what. While he liked being outside, too, he preferred searching for rare ingredients that could be used to make medicines.

Medics were hard to come by, especially within an adventurer’s guild. Front Line medics were a special and rare breed. Having the courage to go into danger and taking care of your comrades, while also keeping yourself out of harm’s way as much as possible, took a special kind of person.

However, many other explorers felt that medics were a dead weight as medics weren’t exactly cut out for battle.

Axel refused to enter any guild without Lynus and was kinda pissed off by how everyone was assuming that Lynus was weak because his sole talent was being a medic. That was how they met Hamza, a War Magus and leader to the guild the Guardians. Hamza looked a little imposing when Lynus first saw him. He was tall with black hair and dark skin. Across his nose was a stripe of red war paint. And on his back was probably one of the biggest swords Lynus had ever seen.

Axel was complaining about the other ‘snobbish’ guilds when Hamza overheard him. And he had agreed with him. Hamza felt that most of the other guilds were only interested in getting rich and famous. They were foolish in his opinion, not thinking things through clearly. In order to survive in the dangerous depths of the labyrinth, a medic was necessary.

And then he offered them both to join his guild, a guild that was only accepting novice explorers. Hamza was a talented and experienced adventurer. He had entered the labyrinth many times before, with other guilds as well. He wanted to create a guild for young and inexperienced explorers as he wanted to give them a chance to learn and grow under his watchful gaze. And, in turn, he hoped that his young charges will help anyone who was in need.

So, of course, he and Axel agreed.

“The Guardians are becoming quite famous,” Dr Stiles suddenly spoke, pulling Lynus out of his musings. Lynus turned his attention back to the older doctor, whom of which was smiling up at him. “You’ve seemed to have gained many friends in the royal guards as well.”

“Yeah, seems so,” Lynus said, smiling as he recalled the utter relief in the solders they helped. “They were very relieved when we brought those supplies to them on the fourth floor.”

“Your guild members may be strong, but I highly doubt they would have made it without you there to support them.”

That comment caught Lynus by surprise. But as he turned to question the older man, Dr Stiles was pushing himself back to his feet. He smiled at him before turning to gaze at the patients that were still lingering and needed to be attended to. Lynus followed his example and looked around as well, noting that not all patients were victims of the shipwreck. There were patients who were sporting injuries that could only be made from the many monsters in the labyrinth.

“I know I only asked you hear for the shipwreck victims, but could you-?” Dr Stiles didn’t even have to finish his question before Lynus agreed.

“Of course,” Lynus said as he smiled and nodded his head. “Injured explorers wait for no one.”

Dr Stiles returned the smile, placing a hand on Lynus’ shoulder. “I’ll make sure you and your guild receive an excellent reward.”

Lynus only had time to give him a quick nod before Dr Stiles had turned away to get back to work. Lynus’ thoughts turned to his guild and had to smile to himself. He thought about them, wondering if they were wondering about him. It felt as though he had been here for hours. He hoped they were still waiting for him at Stickleback Bar.

No, they would be for sure. They wouldn’t enter the labyrinth without him, at least not without telling him first.

“Yo, medic!” a husky voice suddenly called out. 

Blinking in surprise, Lynus turned his head in the direction he thought the voice came from and his gaze fell onto a man with black hair, some of it swept over his right eye. He was adorned in a suit of leather, a long whip tied to his side. The man was obviously a Dark Hunter.

And he was very obviously injured as well.

“Oh,” Lynus said as he approached him. “Yes, sorry about the wait. There was a shipwreck just off the coast. We’re being swamped.”

“Well, ain’t I lucky?” the Dark Hunter said as he looked Lynus up and down, a somewhat perverse smirk adorning his lips. “I got a cute one.”

Lynus granted him a rather blank look. He wasn’t sure if the guy was joking or was being serious. Perhaps he was mocking him. Who knows? It didn’t really matter. If a person was injured and was seeking medical aide, Lynus would help him.

“Right,” Lynus said dismissively as he rustled around in his medical carry bag. “Let me have a look at your injuries.”

“Ooh, you’re going to check me out?” the man smirked. “I’m really lucky.”

Lynus chose to ignore that and focused on the tasked at hand. As Lynus began to assess his injuries, he got a strong whiff of stale ale. It seemed as though he stumbled into the bar before he came to the hospital. That would probably explain his rather flirty attitude.

So, as he concentrated on healing the weeping wound, Lynus tried his best to ignore the smell of alcohol on the guy’s breath. A Cure spell should be enough to heal this injury. Thankfully his wounds weren’t that deep. But, unfortunately, he had quite a few of them. Must have been a tough battle.

“So,” the Dark Hunter drawled. “A healer, huh? How about you join my Guild?”

“Sorry,” Lynus tried to say as politely, but sternly, as he could. “I’m already a member of a guild and I have no intention of leaving.”

The pale Dark Hunter continued to simply look at him, his smile giving Lynus the impression of a shark. He suddenly snared Lynus by the wrist, making him release a noise of surprise as he nearly toppled over onto his lap. “I think it would be a good idea if you join us,” the Dark Hunter told him.

And it didn’t sound like a suggestion. 

“I’m not interested,” Lynus said as he found the strength to rip his wrist out of the Dark Hunter’s grip and took a step back, busying himself with going through the supply of medicines and bandages.

“No need to be like that,” the Dark Hunter said, still smiling that stupid smirk of his and lolling around on the makeshift cot. “After all, we should all be friends, right? We’re all in this together.”

While what he said was true, it didn’t make Lynus feel any better.

“What’s your name, gorgeous?” 

Lynus felt himself becoming irrationally annoyed. The Dark Hunter was rather obnoxious and his tone of voice made it seem like he was mocking him somehow. As if he was intentionally trying to get under his skin.

He probably was.

Try to ignore him, Lynus told himself as he pulled out some fresh bandages. People react differently when they were in pain.

“My name is Avith. Unique, isn’t it?”

“Lynus,” Lynus answered his previous question, a little more tersely than he had intended as he reached forward to grab the Dark Hunter’s injured arm. “Keep still. This might sting a little. These bandages are coated with a special mixture. It should speed up recovery.”

“Lynus, huh?” Avith said, letting Lynus’ name roll off his tongue. “Such a pretty name.”

Lynus felt his eyebrow twitch as he purposely tightened the bandaged around Avith’s arm. The other man didn’t wince, though. No, his smile seemed to widen. 

“Thanks so much for the compliment,” Lynus muttered as he backed away, happy that he had addressed the Dark Hunter’s wounds. “You can go now. I’ve taken care of your injuries.”

“Not all of them,” Avith said in a sing-song kind of way.

Lynus frowned and tilted his head to the side as he studied the other man, unwittingly running his gaze over his form. He soon realised what he was doing and snapped his gaze back to Avith’s face, his own face burning with embarrassment by the perverted amusement on his face.

“Oh no, beautiful,” Avith chuckled at him. “My injury is here.” He suddenly thumped his chest, over where his heart was.

Lynus continued to frown at him, not exactly believing him. “How so?”

“My heart hurts, you see,” Avith told him. Unexpectedly his expression shifted into a more sorrowful look. “I lost three party members.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lynus immediately said, wearing a sympathetic expression. He reached out a hand to offer him some comfort in some way, a reflex of his. But he paused when Avith looked at him again, the corners of his lips turning into a smile.

“Want to comfort me, sweetheart?”

Undeniable anger bubbled in Lynus’ chest. “Don’t joke about these things,” he hissed at him.

“I’m not joking,” Avith said, although his expression and tone wasn’t all that convincing. “You don’t believe me?”

“For someone who had recently lost members of his own guild, you sound way too cheerful,” Lynus commented. If he had lost any members from his guild…No, he didn’t want to think about it. It would be too painful.

The smirk on Avith’s lips turned decidedly sadistic. “Oh, I’m mourning, alright. I’m also planning revenge.”

“You’re going to take on the monster that killed your friends?” Lynus questioned, a mixture of intrigue and worry washing over him. He had no idea of the Dark Hunter’s strength, but he assumed that his defence wasn’t all that good. Well, look at where he was right now. “Are you sure you’re strong enough now?”

Avith laughed, slightly manically. “Of course, but to make sure, we need a medic.” 

That wasn’t exactly subtle.

Lynus frowned. “I told you, I’m not interested.”

“Ooh, that’s a little cold, isn’t it?” Avith clicked his tongue at him. “Aren’t you worried about my safety?”

Lynus was. A little at least. But that was just the medic in him. Going head first into battle with a monster that had previously killed was dangerous. And completely reckless. That was something he just could not participate in. It was suicide. Any adventurer worth his salt would know to take a bit of time to train so they could be ready the next time they face a powerful monster.

“I have my own guild to look after,” Lynus said as he brushed past Avith, looking for another patient to busy himself with. But before he could get very far, a hand snared him by the arm and spun him around. Lynus’ eyes widened when he found himself nearly chest to chest with Avith. The mocking mirth in Avith’s eyes was gone, and so was his smirk.

“I wasn’t asking,” Avith told him. 

His voice was low and cold, it made Lynus shiver unwillingly. And the grip on his arm was strong, painfully so. There was something dangerous about Avith. Something that made Lynus uneasy. Very uneasy.

Swallowing thickly, Lynus opened his mouth in attempt to say something. But no words came out.

“Is everything all right here?”

The sound of Dr Stiles voice seemed to break whatever trance Lynus was in and he jerked back, away from Avith. Avith, too, seemed to have been surprised by Dr Stiles and lessened his grip he had on him. When Dr Stiles drew closer, he dropped his hold on Lynus completely, and he was able to finally move away from the imposing man.

“Avith,” Dr Stiles said, his expression creasing into a frown of disapproval. “You’re here again?”

Lynus silently moved away, rubbing his arm with his hand as Dr Stiles fearlessly stepped toward Avith as the Dark Hunter in turn glared at him. Dr Stiles’ usually kind expression was replaced by a look of frustration and annoyance.

“When will you learn?” Dr Stiles shook his head, putting himself physically between Lynus and Avith. “It was three days ago that you suffered a terrible loss of your comrades. Don’t be so foolish.”

Avith said nothing, his glare not wavering. But neither was Dr Stiles’ stare of disapproval. Finally, after a long drawn out minute, Avith backed down, a smirk reappearing on his lips. His gaze flickered over to Lynus and he bowed dramatically.

“Thanks for your help, beautiful,” he said before straightening up. “We must talk again.”

Then, he turned around and walked away, sashaying through the injured bodies of the patients. Lynus released the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, still subconsciously rubbing his arm where Avith had grabbed him.

“That’s Avith,” Dr Stiles said as he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “A regular here, unfortunately. Him and his entire guild, actually. So reckless.”

“So he was telling the truth about his guild?” Lynus muttered, unable to stop himself from feeling some sympathy for him. Still, the man unnerved him and he hoped that they wouldn’t met again.

“Yes,” Stiles muttered, heaving an even deeper sigh. “If only they were more careful…”

Dr Stiles didn’t need to finish that sentence. Lynus knew. If only the explorers and adventures would only take some medical supplies. And not become overly confident. Then, maybe, there would be fewer casualties.

“I think that’s all for today,” Dr Stiles suddenly said, returning to his helpful and caring self. “Thanks once again for all your help.”

“Oh, no problem,” Lynus said in return. “I’ll be happy to help in the future as well.”

“Glad to hear it!”

After receiving yet more thanks for his hard work, Lynus was able to leave the hospital. He decided to head to Stickleback Bar to see if his guild members were still there. But it was possible that they had retired to the Inn. The sun was starting to set, so it was getting dark, and it was a good idea to get a good night’s sleep if they were planning on entering the labyrinth again.

Walking through the nearly empty streets, which was rather surprising, Lynus suddenly realised that he left his medical bag back at the hospital. Groaning inwardly at his own stupidity, Lynus abruptly turned around and started to jog back to the hospital. 

Suddenly, Lynus felt a presence behind him. Before he could turn around and react he felt something cool press against his cheek. Then, an arm snaked around his middle, trapping his arms against his sides and he was pulled back into something warm and alive. There was a strong smell of ale and smoke as a breath rasped against his ear.

He nearly stopped breathing when he realised that a person was holding onto him and was pressing a knife against his cheek. “What-?”

“Shh,” a male voice hissed at him, literally breathing down his neck, making Lynus release a shudder of disgust. “We need a medic. And you’ll do.”

Lynus furrowed his brow, swallowing a sinking feeling of fear that was in his throat. The voice behind him sounded somewhat familiar. It was raspy and deep, husky even. And that smell. Whoever was holding him captive smelt and sounded like the Dark Hunter from the hospital. The one that tried to get him to join his guild.

“Avith?”


	2. Chapter 2

Axel watched in amusement as his Guild Leader, Hamza, engaged in a drinking game with Barkeep Cass. Hamza’s usually stern and serious expression was replaced with an outgoing and fun-loving one. Barkeep Cass was a large man, completely rough around the edges. He was egging Hamza on with his unusual way of speaking.

“Haw haw haw!” Barkeep Cass’ laugh was so loud, Axel wondered if he could wake the dead. “Is that all you’ve got?”

“Not even close,” Hamza retorted as he threw back another drink.

It always amused Axel greatly to watch his fellow guild members unwind at Stickleback Bar after spending the day in the labyrinth. Hamza was usually so serious and vigilant. His eyes always searching, his mind always thinking of strategies.

So, it was kinda nice watching him relax a bit. Everyone needed to at some time, right?

Picking up his mug of beer, Axel turned to look at his other party members. To his left was the guild’s Survivalist, Tobyn. He had long blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a red scarf that hid the bottom half of his face. He also wore a camouflage green hat with a feather. He was a rather tall man, but he was light and agile. And a great bowman. He was a vital party member in the labyrinth. Keen eyes, great senses. He could sense a powerful enemy, giving them enough time to make a retreat if needed.

Tobyn wasn’t a very outgoing person, though. He kept pretty much to himself. Still, he was polite and friendly enough. A good listener. A good guy to have to watch your back.

To the left of Tobyn was their blond hair Protector, Jhon. Despite being rather lanky, he was strong. His defence was second to none. He could take the hits and dish them out. He was also very white knight in personality. He would throw himself in front of anyone in order to protect them. Sometimes, though, Lynus would get very exasperated with his recklessness.

Still, he was a crucial member as well. Axel was thankful to have him on the team. He made sure that Lynus was safe, no matter what. It made Axel feel better knowing that.

Next to Jhon was Hamza and Barkeep Cass, the two older men still engaging in some friendly teasing and ripping.

Next, Axel’s gaze fell upon Shen, their talented dark-haired Ronin. Shen was sitting cross-legged on the chair, his arms folded over his bare chest. His eyes were closed, his expression stony. He seemed to be meditating, something he liked to do often. Second to Hamza, Shen was a very experienced member of the guild. He had seen many battles and even had the scars of a few close calls. The most obvious was the large scar across his chest. It must have been a deep wound, possibly life threatening. Usually, with the power of the medics, injuries could be healed without leaving such scars.

Shen wore his scar proudly, though. It was proof that he had survived. And that was enough.

Next to Shen was Magnus, their alchemist. Blond hair, blue eyes, he had a rather standoffish appearance. He dressed all in black and wore these strange metal armbands, of which he used to wield elemental magic. He also wore a red scarf around his neck. His gaze was rather piecing. But he was really a quiet and gentle person. He preferred to be at the back of the party, delivering powerful magical attacks.

Axel couldn’t even remember the amount of times Magnus saved their asses with his magic.

“Hey there, beautiful,” a voice suddenly slurred. “Do you have a light?”

Magnus’ right eyebrow suddenly gave a twitch. He slowly turned his head to look to his left, his eyes narrowing in a daunting manner. There, with his hand on the back of Magnus’ chair was a Gunner, a cigar perched between his teeth as he smirked down at him.

Here was a pitfall for alchemists the world over. Everyone who wanted to smoke a cigar or have a cold drink would pester anyone who even looked like an alchemist.

Axel took a sip of his drink, watching from the corner of his eye as Magnus sighed. He wondered if he should interfere, but he knew that Magnus could take care of himself. He had witnessed this very sight numerous times already. Not to mention that the older man, the Gunner, was drunk.

Or maybe he was just overly confident. Either way, he was going to learn a very painful lesson soon. Magnus might be a softie on the inside, but that didn’t mean he would take other people’s shit.

“Sure,” Magnus said. He then started muttering in an unknown language under his breath, holding out his hand. In the palm of his hand a small fire was born. He lifted his hand higher, allowing the Gunner to smirk and lean forward, wanting to light his cigar. Suddenly, the fire grew into a flame.

Axel pulled his drink away from his lips and laughed as the strong smell of burning hair wafted through the bar. He began to laugh harder when the Gunner jumped away from Magnus and began to frantically slap his face in an attempt to put out his burning whiskers. Axel wasn’t the only one laughing. Barkeep Cass’ boisterous laugh was easily heard over the noises of the bar.

With his pride as singed at his facial hair, the Gunner crept away, glaring at Magnus over his shoulder. Magnus wasn’t fazed, though. He rolled his eyes and leant back in his chair, his arms folded tightly over his chest.

“Idiot,” Magnus muttered.

That earned him more laughter from the others, even Shen releasing a chuckle. But he smothered it with a snort and went back to his meditation.

“Happens every time, huh?” Axel commented, unable to hide a smile of amusement.

Magnus flicked his gaze toward him and Axel could still see a sense of annoyance in them. He chose not to comment on that, though. Instead Magnus started another conversation. “Lynus has been gone a while,” he said.

Axel nodded and took a quick sip of his beer before replying. “Yeah. There must be more casualties than first feared.”

“At least it gives him a chance to expand his healing abilities,” Magnus said as he rolled his mug of ale absentmindedly between his hands. “That’s all he thinks about.”

Axel couldn’t help but chuckle and nod. Magnus was right. All Lynus ever really focused on was healing and helping others. Ever since he was a little kid. And he was pretty damn good at it, in Axel’s opinion.

From what Barkeep Cass had told him about Dr Stiles, he and Lynus would get along swimmingly. Dr Stiles, too, obsessed with healing. Maybe that was why Lynus was taking so long. Maybe Lynus was getting a few tips. After all, he was always trying to improve his abilities.

It was good that Magnus seemed to understand Lynus. In fact, the two of them got along quite well, which was good to see. The two of them were usually at the back of the group. While Lynus would heal, Magnus would call upon strong elemental attacks. They were a good combination, actually.

Still, Axel couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about Lynus’ absence. He wasn’t sure why. Something just felt off.

Suddenly, Chi-hung’s head snapped up, his ears pointing forward. Their guild’s beast member usually did that when someone of their guild returned. But instead of flicking his tail in greeting, Chi-hung’s ears folded back and he made a whimpering noise. His actions alarmed Axel greatly and gained everyone’s attention.

“What’s wrong, Chi-hung?” Hamza asked, immediately reverting into his leadership role.

Chi-hung pushed himself up onto his paws, sniffing the air. The sabre-tooth white tiger had an amazing sense of smell. He knew and recognised the scent of everyone in their guild. His senses were so great that he could find anyone in town from anywhere.

Axel’s stomach tightened with a sense of fear. “Is it Lynus?” he asked.

Chi-hung growled lowly in response. It was enough to make Axel take to his feet. Something happened to Lynus. He could feel it. And he wasn’t the only one alarmed by Chi-hung’s behaviour. Every member of the Guardians were upon their feet.

“Let’s head to the hospital immediately,” Hamza ordered as he heaved his weapon onto his back. He had a steely cool look in his eyes. He had been partners with Chi-hung for quite some time, so could understand him better than anyone.

Following their leader’s orders, Axel and the others grabbed their gear and hastily made their way out of the bar, leaving a dumbfounded Cass behind. With Chi-hung leading, they made their way to the hospital, pushing past those looking for treatment. It wasn’t hard to find Dr Stiles, the man seemingly giving a novice explorer a lecture.

He stop mid spiel, though, when Axel approached him, Chi-hung standing by his side.

“Oh, good,” Dr Stiles smiled, the younger explorer taking his cue to slip away. “You’re here to retrieve Lynus’ bag, are you not? It’s right over here.”

Axel didn’t like the sound of that. “His bag?” he repeated. “Lynus isn’t here?”

“No,” Dr Stiles told them, frowning deeply and looking confused. “He left a while ago.”

“How long ago?” Axel asked him hastily, the sense of fear growing steadily.

“I can’t be certain,” Dr Stile replied.

“Did he leave alone?”

“I can’t be certain…”

Axel was about to fire off another question when he felt a hand land heavily upon his shoulder. “Easy, Axel,” Hamza told him firmly.

Axel turned to him, feeling a sense of irritation and fear. “But he isn’t here.” It wasn’t like Lynus. He wouldn’t just get up and lease. Not without telling him. Not without him.

“So, he’s not at the hospital?” Shen muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

“Should I visit the Inn?” Jhon suggested, his brow furrowing in concern. “Perhaps he went there in search of us.”

“No, it seems that Chi-hung can no longer sense Lynus in town,” Hamza stated, his expression grave, his gaze looking down at Chi-hung. Chi-hung looked back at him and nodded his head.

“But if he’s not in town, the labyrinth is…” Tobyn trailed off, shocking realisation suddenly dawning upon him.

“No way!” Axel yelled in alarm, becoming panicked. “He knows better than to head into the labyrinth without us!”

“Ah, but he did not go willingly.”

Axel jumped slightly at the sound of a new voice, a voice he did not know. He spun around and found his gaze colliding with that of a Ronin. The taller and older man held a unyielding expression, and yet there seemed to be a sense of regret in his gaze. He relied heavily on his blade as he approached them, his leg heavily bandaged.

“What do you mean?” Axel asked him, referring to the man’s first words to them.

“Your Medic friend had fallen into the hands of a vengeful Dark Hunter.”

“What?” Axel practically growled out, his party members doing the same. “Are you sure?”

“Vengeful?” Hamza questioned. “Why would a Dark Hunter wish to harm Lynus?”

“No,” the elderly ronin sharply replied. “The Dark Hunter wished to use him as a Medic so that he and his guild could exact their revenge.”

“Avith!?” Dr Stiles suddenly growled.

The amount of anger in Dr Stiles’ voice startled Axel and his fellow guild members. Dr Stiles was usually a calmly spoken man, caring and understanding. Still clutching onto Lynus’ medical bag, Dr Stiles walked over to the Ronin.

“It’s Kishi, isn’t it?” Dr Stiles asked the man, whom nodded in reply. “Do you know Avith? Did they head straight to the labyrinth?”

“My apologies,” the Ronin known as Kishi suddenly said, giving them a regretful bow. “I was unable to help him.”

“So they are in the labyrinth,” Hamza said, an undeniable sense of anger in his voice. He then turned to Chi-hung. “Chi-hung, we’re counting on you.”

Chi-hung growled loudly before sprinting off in the direction of the labyrinth. And Axel was right behind him, his armour clanking as he ran, his broad-axe weighing heavily on his back. But the only thing running through his mind was Lynus, hoping that his childhood friend was still alive.

“Wait for me, Lynus.”


	3. Chapter 3

A bit of fear of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth was considered healthy.

But for Lynus, who found himself stumbling over a tree root for the umpteenth time, it was downright terrifying.

He had his wrists tied together in a strong binding in front of him and was being pulled along with a leash that led to his captor. Add in the factor that the sun had well and truly set, so the forests of the labyrinth were bathed in a dense darkness and he had little idea of where he was. And he was with a group of people he did not know nor trust, whom of which smuggled him past the knights guarding the entrance. And his own guild had no idea where he was.

Also, let’s not forget all the medical healing he had performed at the hospital, so he was tired and was struggling to keep up.

He was ill-prepared and ill-equipped for a midnight jaunt in the labyrinth.

Not that Avith, the Dark Hunter who had actually kidnapped him, cared very much. All he wanted was revenge on the monster that killed three of his guild members. That was all that he was focusing on.

Which was not a good thing.

Lynus tripped over something on the ground. Unable to throw out a hand in order to steady himself, he was about the hit the labyrinth’s floor. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his middle, keeping him up off the ground and steadying him.

“Easy,” a voice said.

Lynus lifted his gaze to look at another Dark Hunter, he with white hair and dark skin. He was a member of Avith’s guild, which he now knew the name of. The Fury Alliance was a pretty small guild, or it was now at least. There were three members, including Avith.

He had been introduced to them briefly before being pulled into the Labyrinth. He managed to get their names, but know not much else about them. The other two members were Rahas, the Dark Hunter who was helping him stay on his feet with a surprisingly gentle touch. And there was Binah, a Troubadour.

She looked rather out of place with the two Dark Hunters. She was small and thin, with bright pink hair and was wearing a dancer’s outfit, a tambourine in her hands. She was merrily skipping along behind Avith, acting as though it was nothing more than an evening walk. She didn’t look even remotely ready to face any type of monsters here. She wasn’t wearing any armour to begin with.

And they were it. There was no one else.

So that was the reason why Lynus was so terrified right now. If the monster they had faced before killed three of their guild members, what made them think the three of them was strong enough to face it alone? Even with a medic there at their backs, it was going to be near impossible. Their need for revenge was clouding any rational judgement.

“We shouldn’t be doing this right now, Avith,” Rahas suddenly spoke as he helped Lynus back to his feet. “It’s dark; we can barely see a thing. And let’s not forget the minor detail that you kidnapped a medic from the hospital, where he had been healing explorers all day long.”

Even though it was dark, Lynus could make out a smirk on Avith’s face, something he was learning he wore all the time. “What’s you point, Rahas?” he asked.

“This is suicide!” Rahas suddenly hissed.

“Don’t you want revenge?” Avith suddenly asked, his tone of voice terse and harsh.

“Of course I do,” Rahas’ reply was just as sharp. “But I also want to live to explore another day.”

Avith gave a sharp tug of the leash that was tied to Lynus’ wrists, making him lurch forward. Lynus then found himself pressed up against Avith’s chest, his hands trapped between them as Avith slipped an arm against the small of his back.

Lynus couldn’t hold back a cringe and tried to push away from him. But Avith was surprisingly strong and all Lynus could do was turn his face to look at anything else but him.

“That’s why we have a medic now,” Avith said, his breath ghosting against Lynus’ ear, making him cringe again. “He’ll do the healing while we do the battling. Simple, really.”

“Avith, you kidnapped him!” Rahas said around a sigh of exasperation as he reached forward and managed to get a hold of Lynus, all but ripping him out of Avith’s grip. “He shouldn’t even be here,” he said as he pushed Lynus behind him. “This isn’t his problem.”

A moment of silence stretched out as Avith and Rahas’ glared at each other. Binah stayed quiet in the background, her head tilted to the side in curiosity.

Lynus stayed quiet as well, hoping that Avith wasn’t as vengeful and reckless as he appeared, that he did have some sense to see that Rahas was right. It wasn’t too late to turn back now. If that didn’t work, his only other hope was that a guard would stumble across them. But with his recent run of luck, that won’t happen. He was surprised that they managed to get this far without bumping into another team. And, then again, if they did meet up with someone else, Avith might attack them in return. So Lynus didn’t know what to think.

He just wanted out.

“Could you at least untie my hands?” Lynus asked quietly, holding up his bound wrists. “I can’t heal without the use of my hands. And it’s not like I can actually run away. I’m not stupid.”

Suddenly, a beastly roar caused the surrounding area to vibrate. Lynus tensed, as did everyone else, and became quiet. Avith’s head whipped around toward the source of the sound and emitted a low chuckle.

“At last,” he muttered. “We found the bastard.”

Lynus’ heart began to beat harder in his chest as the sound of rustling bushes grew closer and closer. The monster, whatever it was, had obviously caught scent of them and was heading straight there way.

If only Lynus had his bag with him.

“Don’t worry,” Rahas said to Lynus under his breath as he drew his weapon. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

As reassuring as that was meant to be, it did little to ease Lynus’ nerves. What would make him feel a whole lot better was if someone from his own guild was here to protect him instead.

What he really wanted was Axel.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, signalling that something large and powerful was coming. And by the way the shaking of the ground was becoming stronger every second it was moving quickly. And aggressively.

Then, appearing like a bullet from the tree line was a grey, prehistoric monster. Large and fearsome, the beast’s aggression increased the moment it was able to visibly lay eyes on them.

Lynus broke out in a cold sweat. It was a Raptor. He had seen it before, one of a few who did and survived. If it wasn’t for their leader’s quick thinking, maybe he and his fellow guild members wouldn’t be around today.

“You can’t be serious?” Lynus said to Rahas, turning to look at him.

Rahas didn’t return his look, though. He kept his focus on the rumbling and snarling monster. There was a bit of hesitancy in his posture, but he tightened his grip on his whip. It seemed as if he realised that there was no turning back now.

“Let’s go!” Avith ordered, cracking his whip.

Lynus was abruptly shoved out of the way by Rahas and onto the ground a few feet back. With his hands still bound, he struggled to push himself into a sitting position. He looked up to see both Rahas and Avith engaging the monster in battle, while Binah stayed far back, singing and cheering the two on.

He hoped that she knew some powerful song magic as the more he watched Avith and Rahas battle, the more concerned he became. It seemed that they were busy dodging attacks than landing any themselves. There was no way they could keep that up forever.

Suddenly, another monster entered the fray. It was another Raptor.

Lynus nearly stopped breathing as the large grey monster charged into the clearing. Rahas and Avith were having difficulties with one monster. How could they possibly hope to take on two?

He then noticed that the monster wasn’t going to the other Raptor’s aide. Instead, its attention was drawn elsewhere. It seemed to be distracted by Binah’s dancing and singing.

“Binah!” Lynus called out to her. He was too far away to get to her, the monster in-between them. And Avith and Rahas’ attention were focused on the other monster.

Binah abruptly stopped her song and stood stock still. Slowly, she turned to look at the approaching monster.

“Don’t just stand there!” Lynus yelled to her. “Run!”

But the little girl was frozen in place, an expression of sheer horror on her face. She stared up at the Raptor as it towered over her. Her Tamborine slipped from her hand as the Raptor opened its large mouth and then…

Lynus abruptly looked away as the sound of bones breaking and flesh being ripped apart caused him to dry heave. He couldn’t bear to look up. He didn’t want to see. There was nothing he could do. No amount of healing could help her now.

“Binah!” came Avith’s scream of raw and unadulterated horror. “You bastard!”

Lynus managed to push himself to his feet and looked up in time to witness Avith’s suffer a direct hit from the Raptor as it charged toward him. He flew several feet into the air and landed on the ground, hard. Then, he stopped moving.

There was still a chance to help him, Lynus thought to himself as he leaned his shoulder against a tree in order to support himself. But he froze when he felt someone’s, or something’s, gaze fall onto him. It was a very distinct and terrifying feeling, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Trying not to make any sudden movements, he turned around and immediately his vision was filled with that of a snarling monster.

Slowly, the Raptor stalked over to him. It loomed over him, blood dripping from its razor sharp teeth. With a tree pressed against his back and his hands still bound, there wasn’t anything he could do. He had no weapon, no offensive magic. Avith out of reach for him to heal, Rahas trapped by the other Raptor. And poor Binah…

He was alone.

Lynus broke out into a cold sweat, the sting of tears welling in his eyes. He was going to be killed. He didn’t want it to end like this. If he was to die, he wanted to be with his guild members. They were his friends, his family. He didn’t want to die alone.

Axel…

What about Axel? How would he feel? Would he want revenge? Would he blame himself?

Lynus could feel the heated and nauseating breath of the Raptor now. His heart was pounding, his mind racing. There was a very slim chance that he could outrun one Raptor. But two? No. He couldn’t. It was over. All over.

“A…Axel…”


	4. Chapter 4

Lynus didn’t want to look at the beast that was about the kill him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. What he was seeing was the same thing Binah saw before she died. No wonder the poor girl was frozen in fear.

“Hyargh!”

There was a sudden war cry unlike anything Lynus had heard before. His view of the Raptor was broken by a blur of armour and steel, appearing from above. Not a split second after there was a loud, sicking crack of metal hitting bone, and a loud gurgle of pain.

It almost didn’t seem real. There, standing before him, was a figure in red armour swinging a large axe over his head before bringing it down abruptly with a loud grunt. It was only then when the Raptor made a monstrous roar, that it dawned upon Lynus what had really happened.

It was Axel. He had jumped from a high perch in the tree he had been leaning against and slammed his broad-axe into the Raptor’s head. His strike was so fierce that the sound of breaking bones echoed through the night air.

“Lynus!”

Then Lynus found himself swept up into Axel’s strong arms suddenly, being held tightly against his chest. The relief he felt was instantaneous. For a slight fraction of a moment he felt safe. A cure spell tumbled from his lips as he nuzzled his head under Axel’s chin, letting his friend practically carry him to safety.

“Are you ok?” Axel asked him as he pulled back, holding Lynus by his upper arms to hold him still as he looked at him. There was an abundant amount of concern in his gaze, as well as fear.

Lynus nodded his head in response. “Yeah, I’m ok.”

A moment later Lynus found himself surrounded by the other members of The Guardians. They circled him in a protective manner, their weapons drawn and ready for battle.  Everyone was here. Lynus could see that some of them had minor cuts and scrapes, appearing as if they had searched all over the labyrinth for him.

He did a double take, realising that indeed everyone from his guild was there. But weren’t they allowed no more than five per party? How did they all make inside?

“We formed two groups,” Axel explained, as if he had read Lynus’ mind, giving him a crooked smile.

“Is that even allowed?”

“The knights weren’t going to argue when we told them the reason why we were entering the labyrinth.”

Lynus could say nothing in reply to that. He could only smile.

“Lynus,” Hamza called to him as he flexed his weapon before him. “Can you tell me the situation?”

Quickly remembering the serious situation they were now in, Lynus moved away from Axel, standing in the middle of the protect circle of his guild members. He could still feel Axel’s hand on his shoulder, though. His touch was comforting.

Noticing his bindings, Tobyn pulled out a knife and quickly cut the ropes, freeing Lynus’ hands. Rubbing his wrists, Lynus drew in a sharp breath and decided to answer as plainly as possible. “Two Raptors. One fatality. Two injured. Status unknown currently.”

“There were only three explorers?” Shen asked him, a hint of incredulity in his voice. “Foolish.”

“This isn’t good,” Magnus muttered under his breath as he looked around. “One may be incapacitated, but the other is still in perfect health.”

“Axel,” Hamza was about to give a command, but Axel interrupted him.

“I’ll finish off the first bastard,” Axel said as he removed his grip on Lynus and lifted his axe into his shoulder. “It’s nearly dead, anyway.”

“Good,” Hamza murmured as he tightened his hold on his weapon. “Lynus, stay at the back and look after the two that are injured. They don’t deserve such generosity, but we will never leave anyone behind.”

“Here.”

Lynus looked over to Magnus, who was holding something out to him. It was his medical bag. They went to the hospital looking for him. Was that how they knew something was wrong?

It didn’t matter now.

“Thanks.” Swinging his bag over his shoulder, Lynus felt much better. He was surrounded by his friends, people that he trusted the most. He was ready now.

“Everyone,” Hamza said, his voice loud and commanding. “Hold strong! This is a battle we can’t run away from!”

“Right!”

“Then let’s go!”

As his guild ran into battle, determined and strong, Lynus plunged his hand into his bag. He pulled out a small bottle of Medica and quickly drank it. It would give him the energy he needed. He wouldn’t waste his healing skills on himself, nor would he use anything higher than a Medica. One bottle was enough.

Adjusting his bag onto his shoulder, over his head, the strap across his chest, Lynus looked around. His gaze fell on Rahas, the Dark Hunter lying in a crumbled heap on the ground. Seeing that the coast was clear, his guild members battling the roaring Raptor with skill and finesse, he made his way over to him.

Kneeling by Rahas’ side, Lynus was relieved to find him still breathing. But he was unconscious, thick blood sticking to the side of his head. He had suffered some head damaged. There was no way of telling how bad his injury was or if he had any internal damaged out in the field. He needed to get to a hospital.

With his hand hovering an inch over the wound, Lynus whispered the cure spell. It was all he could do for now.

Lynus heard a noise, telling him that the Raptor was turning its attention to him again. He glanced up from healing Rahas to see the Raptor getting closer. Then, without any hesitation, Jhon was in front of him, his shield raised in defence. The monster hit Jhon’s shield with a loud bang. But Jhon held his ground, even though he was pushed back a few feet, kicking up dirt by doing so.

Without any hesitation on his part, Lynus was up on his feet, a cure spell on his lips as he placed two hands on Jhon’s back. Warm healing magic seeped from his hands into Jhon, healing any wounds he may have had and giving him the strength to uphold his guard.

“I’m fine!” Jhon said to him, boldly pushing back against the monster’s force. “Find a place of safety.”

“Right!” With his adrenaline pumping, Lynus stumbled back over to Rahas, flung his limp arm over his shoulder and then managed to stagger away. He made a break for a small opening. There, he rested Rahas against a tree. His wounds were deep, but Lynus had managed to heal what he could see were the most fatal. He was in pain, no doubt, but he wasn’t going to die any time soon.

With Rahas safe for now, Lynus ran back into the action.

Moving to his usual place beside Magnus, who was uttering elemental spells one after the other, Lynus concentrated on using his salve spell to offer a small bit of healing to everyone. He hadn’t found Avith yet, but the need to make sure that his party were healthy was more important right now.

Lynus immediately began searching for Axel amongst the carnage. It wasn’t difficult to find him, and Lynus uttered a sigh of relief when he saw that he was still up on his feet, fighting. He was facing a monster on his own and seemed to be doing miraculously well. Still, even though the Raptor had been previously injured by Axel’s powerful attacks, it was still dangerous.

“Make sure he’s safe,” Magnus suddenly told Lynus, giving him a slight push.

Lynus didn’t say anything in return. He simply nodded his head and pushed himself forward. He was tired, exhausted really. But he wouldn’t allow himself to rest now.

“Axel!”

“Stay back!” Axel yelled to him. Then, with a loud grunt, he swung his axe, throwing his body to the side to put more force behind his attack. He dodged the Raptor’s attack, instead striking the beast’s throat. The Raptor emitted a strangled cry, like blood gurgling in its throat. It staggered a couple of steps before it began to lean to the side. It soon fell over, kicking up a cloud of dust as it hit the ground. Blood seeped from numerous wounds as it twitched, kicking its legs feebly.

Then it became still.

Lynus didn’t know whether it was dead or not. But it was obvious that it had been defeated.

Axel was panting as he leaned against his axe, a slight look of satisfaction on his face. Lynus wasted no time reaching him and began to fuss over him.

“Is everyone else ok?” Axel asked him.

“They’re still alive,” Lynus replied, glancing over his shoulder to the other battle.

Axel drew in a sharp breath before heaving his axe onto his shoulder again. “I better help,” he said as he made a motion to move.

But Lynus suddenly grabbed onto him, pushing himself into his arms and leant against his chest. Yet again he uttered a healing spell, making doubly sure that Axel was at perfect health. As the healing warmth spread from Lynus to Axel, Axel placed an arm around Lynus’ waist, holding him close.

When the spell began to subside, Lynus pulled back and looked up at Axel. Despite what was happening around them, they simply gazed at one another for a silent moment.

But the sound of someone crying pulled the two back to reality. Stepping away from each other, they looked around, slightly startled. They both turned to the direction of the noise and stood still.

It was Avith. He was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by blood, his hands clutching a damaged Tamborine. Numerous wounds covered his form, but they didn’t concern him. The tears he was crying wasn’t from the physical pain. He was crying for Binah. He had lost yet another guild member.

The sight was heartbreaking.

“Was he the one-?” Axel began to ask him.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Lynus said to him, turning to look at Axel once again. “Come on, there’s still one monster left to deal with.”

Axel nodded his head once. They then turned around and headed to where the action was, to where they were both needed. Axel headed straight for the enraged Raptor while Lynus moved to stand near Magnus once more. He immediately fell into his role. Cure. Refresh. Salve. Do whatever was necessary to ensure that everyone would return to town alive.

Tobyn was nimbly hopping from branch to branch, from tree to tree, firing off arrows from a safe distance. And Chi-hung and Jhon were working in teams in luring the monster’s attention away from the back row fighters and the injured. With the monster distracted, Axel, Shen and Hamza were landing heavy blows with their weapons. And with Magnus casting powerful magic, and Lynus continually casting his healing spells on the party, the monster’s movements were becoming slower and strained.

“Get back!” Tobyn suddenly yelled. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the arrows that he had shot toward the sky earlier rained down upon the Raptor, every single one of them hitting their mark.

It was Apollon. His strongest attack.

That was it. The final blow.

The Raptor gave a strangled cry as it fell sideways and onto the ground. Everyone became still, watching, waiting. But it made no movement. Blood seeped from its numerous wounds before it breathed its last breath. Then it became still.

Cautiously, Hamza edged forward. He approached the monster and when he was close enough, he knelt down. He turned his head slightly to the side, his body still tense as he listened.

Finally, his tense shoulders dropped and he breathed a sigh.

“It’s over,” he said, standing up.

Almost in unison, everyone sighed with relief. Lynus immediately felt the tension drain from his body and found himself collapsing onto the ground. Axel sat on the ground next to him, he too exhausted from the battle. In fact everyone was.

No surprise, really. Racing out in the night into the Labyrinth in search of him and then taking on two Raptors at once. It was a miracle they were still awake.

“So,” Hamza said as he rolled his shoulder, flexing it. “Now we have to get back to town.”

Wordlessly Lynus reached into his bag and pulled something out. It was a Warp Wire. Two of them, actually. He always made sure he had at the very least two with him. No question. It was the quickest way to reach town. Not to mention the safest with injured in tow.

When he showed it to everyone, they all smiled in relief. They were all ready to leave. They had enough adventure for one night.

Lynus, especially.


	5. Chapter 5

They had to form two groups before they could use the Warp Wires effectively. Lynus, Axel and Chi-hung were in one group, taking the two injured explorers with them. Axel pretty much had Avith by the scruff of his neck while Rahas leaned against Chi-hung for support. They could not bring back Binah’s body with them just yet. Tomorrow, perhaps, they could retrieve her.

So they could, you know, but her to rest.

The rest of their guild obviously formed the other team and promised to be right behind them when they warp out as well. It had been such a relief to see the town’s lights shimmering in the distance when they warped out of the labyrinth.

There wasn’t much else Lynus could do for either Avith or Rahas, but to take them both to the hospital. He wanted to see Dr Stiles anyway. So he could put the other man’s mind at ease.

While they deliver the two hurt dark hunters to the hospital, the rest of their guild were heading to the Inn. It was really late now. Or real early in the morning, whichever way you wanted to look at it. The streets were rather quiet, only a few explorers shuffling around.

As they neared the hospital, Lynus was quiet surprised that Avith didn’t struggle in Axel’s grip. Maybe he was far too deep in mourning to care. Or perhaps Axel had muttered a warning to him to keep still. The last thing you want was to have a landsknecht’s hand around your neck.

Once inside, it wasn’t hard to find Dr Stiles. He had been waiting for them and the relief in his gaze was evident when he saw that Lynus was alright. But then his eyes narrowed when he noticed that Axel was dragging Avith with him.

Axel practically threw Avith at Dr Stile, the injured dark hunter hitting the hard floor at his feet with a barely audible groan. “Get him out of my sight before I embed my axe into his spine.”

Dr Stiles looked down at Avith, his lips drawn into a tight line. “We’ll take care of him,” he said. Although the nature of those words should have reassuring, they weren’t in the slightest for Avith, who grimaced from his position on the floor.

Lynus helped Rahas to stand, aiding him as he staggered over to a bed. Rahas hadn’t said a word during the entire trip back. He seemed exhausted; physically, mentally and emotionally.

Dr Stiles turned his attention to Rahas after ordering a few lingering staff members to take care of Avith. “Where’s Binah?” he asked. “I take it she was with you as well?”

It was remarkable how Dr Stiles seemed to remember the names of all his patients.

“I’m sorry,” Lynus muttered as he shook his head. “She didn’t…”

Lynus winced when he recalled the sound of the beast’s roar before it…The crushing of bones…It was going to leave an impression on him for quite some time.

“I see…” was all Dr Stiles muttered simply, a flicker of remorse in his gaze. He quickly turned back to the talented and dedicated doctor that he was and went back to work, fussing over Rahas.

With nothing more that he could do, Lynus squeezed Rahas’ shoulder as a form of silent comfort before he walked over to Axel. As they turned to leave, Axel’s arm wrapped around his shoulders and Chi-hung moved to walk by his side. It was comforting having two guild members with him and he was happy for the support as he felt so tired now. Everything was catching up on him.

He had never been so happy to see the Inn as it came into view.

And yet, there was the medic side of him that wanted to ensure that everyone else was all right.

Waiting by the entrance was Hamza, Chi-hung trotting up to stand by his side. “The others have retired for the night. And before you ask, they’re fine. There’s one room left,” he told them, smiling softly. “You’ll have to share. I take it’s not a problem?”

Lynus shook his head as Hamza handed Axel the key.

“Didn’t think so,” Hamza chuckled before motioning to Chi-hung. “Come, you are rooming with me.”

Chi-hung flicked his tail in response before rubbing his head against Lynus’ arm and purring. Lynus managed a smile as he ran his fingers through Chi-hung’s white fur.

With Axel’s help, Lynus staggered inside their room. He was beyond exhausted now. All he wanted to was sleep. That was what he needed more than anything.

Instead of two single beds, the room held one large one. The room itself wasn’t very big to begin with, so it could only hold one bed. But it didn’t matter. They were just grateful to get a bed at all. It wasn’t that uncommon to find other explorers sleeping on benches or couches at random places around the city.

They would even camp inside the Labyrinth if needed.

Lynus barely had enough energy to drop his bag to the floor and remove his coat and armour before he unceremoniously collapsed into bed. He rolled over onto his side, feeling the bed sag as Axel moved to lie down as well. His presence was reassuring and Lynus unconsciously shifted closer. He felt something drape around her shoulders, but soon after that, he fell into a deep sleep.

It felt like only a second had passed before light invaded Lynus’ vision. He blearily opened his eyes to see that the sun was beaming down at him through the open window. The sun was bright, meaning that it was actually close to midday. A few hours had past, but it didn’t feel like it to Lynus. He still felt tired. Worse still, his body felt heavy and achy.

Getting up was going to be a struggle.

As his mind began to clear, Lynus soon remembered that he wasn’t alone. Axel was still sleeping next to him, on his back, his eyes closed, he face free from tension. And Lynus was using his chest as a pillow, an arm casually draped over his torso while Axel’s arm was wrapped around his waist.

Lynus was only slightly startled by their positions, but made no attempt to move. No, it was too comfortable to move yet.

“Finally awake, huh?”

As Lynus lifted his head up to look upon Axel’s face, he noticed a subtle abrasion on his cheek. A sudden wave of guilt washed over him for all the fuss he had caused. Wordlessly he lifted his hand, a small cure spell falling from his lips once more as he trailed his fingertips over the small wound.

After the healing green glow subsided, Lynus sighed. “Maybe I should learn some sort of fighting skills,” he said as he rolled over, away from Axel to sit up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed with some effort.

“But you enjoy healing,” Axel said, frowning as he sat up, too.

Lynus sighed again, masking a groan, as he lifted his hand to massage his shoulder and neck. It was true, he preferred healing over fighting, but not all dangers were in the Labyrinth itself. “But last night-”

“It was a one off thing,” Axel abruptly cut him off from saying anything more. He then slipped an arm around Lynus’ waist, pulling him back abruptly, half on the bed, half on his lap. “It won’t happen again.”

Lynus struggled for a moment, but stilled when Axel gently tightened his grip on him, holding him against his chest. “Axel…?”

“Look, don’t worry so much, ok?” Axel murmured as he rested his chin on top of Lynus’ head. “Just keep doing what you want to do. I make sure nothing like that happens again.”

“Ok,” Lynus said with a smile as he sagged in Axel’s arms.

He could probably argue back about needing to look after himself to ensure the health and safety of the others, but Axel wouldn’t listen. He could be stubborn that way. And Lynus had learnt long ago that sometimes it was simply much, much easier not to argue with him.

With Axel’s arms wrapped around him, his presence both reassuring and comforting, Lynus was about to fall back to sleep when there was an unexpected knock at the door.

“Wakey wakey!” a maternal voice boomed through the door, making the window panes rattle. “Lunch time, sweeties!”

Lynus and Axel jumped at the voice and scrambled off the bed in defensive reflex, both fully awake now. It took them a second later to realise that the voice belonged to the Inn’s owner and a small bout of nervous laughter bubbled from Lynus’ throat.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

“At least she didn’t come barging in banging two saucepans together,” Axel muttered under his breath. “Like last time.”

Lynus yelled a ‘thank you’ through the door as he and Axel set about tidying themselves up a bit. They still had the clothes they wore into the labyrinth and Lynus needed to have a shower. The blood and sweat was really potent right now.

After making themselves presentable, they ventured downstairs, into the dining area where they could hear voices of other explorers. It was nearing the end of lunch now, but the motherly inn keeper was still flittering around, ensuring that her patrons were well fed and well looked after.

Upon entering the room, they immediately spotted Hamza and Chi-hung sitting at a table in the corner of the room. Hamza was reading the newspaper, completely ignoring the hustle and bustle around him, while Chi-hung rested casually on the floor by his feet. Chi-hung soon perked up, though, when Lynus and Axel made their way over to them.

“Ah, Lynus,” Hamza greeted with a small smile. “How are you feeling?”

Lynus shrugged awkwardly as he sat down at the table, Chi-hung rubbing his head against his thigh. “I’m fine,” he replied, a little uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of that question. Normally, he was the one who asked that.

“We’re going to take it easy today,” Hamza announced. “I think we deserve it.”

Lynus simply nodded in response as he absentmindedly stroked Chi-hung’s head, scratching him behind the ears, the white tiger purring contently. He was so glad that Hamza had decided that they were going to have the day off before they continued their exploration. He was still a little bit tired and needed to restock his bag anyway.

“Where are the others?” Lynus asked.

“Retrieval,” Hamza answered shortly. “Requested by Dr Stiles.”

Again, Lynus simply nodded in response. Although the answer was short and rather vague, Lynus knew immediately what he meant.

Good. Hopefully they’ll find Binah so they could give her a proper adventurer’s burial. However, he hoped that they won’t bump into any more dangerous Raptors.

“Tobyn and Shen are there,” Axel’s voice pulled Lynus out of his thoughts. “Those two will make sure everyone gets back relatively unharmed.”

“You’re right,” Lynus said as he smiled at Axel, feeling reassured by his words.

“Ah,” Hamza cleared his throat. “There’s one more thing I should inform you.”

Lynus and Axel both turned their attentions to Hamza, curious as to what else he needed to tell them.

Before Hamza could begin to explain, though, a hand came to a rest on Lynus’ shoulder, but only for a moment before slipping down to trail a seductive finger along his collarbone. Lynus immediately eeped at the touch.

He froze, though, when an eerily familiar voice purred in his ear.

“Hey there, beautiful.”

“Avith?” Lynus squeaked.

Axel was immediately up on his feet, his hand lashing out to grab Avith by the throat. He ripped him away from Lynus, who staggered to his feet as well, all but scurrying to the other side of the table.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Axel didn’t so much ask, but demand.

“I’ve decided that it would be best if he and his only companion were a part of our guild,” Hamza replied to Axel’s question rather casually (too casually, really) as he kept his gaze on the newspaper he was reading.

Axel didn’t seem pleased, though. He spun around to face Hamza, effortlessly keeping a tight grip on the struggling Avith’s throat. “Why?” There was such bite in his tone that adventurers that were not a part of their guild winced and tried to subtly shuffle away.

Or not so subtly. A rather scruffy looking gunner (whose hair appeared burnt and singed) thought it was best to make a quick exit through an open window.

Hamza, however, simply lowered a corner of the paper to give Axel a rather plain look. “So I can ensure that what happened last night won’t be happening again.”

“That’s right,” Avith wheezed, tugging desperately at Axel’s grip. “My fault. My mistake. I’ll make up for it by treating Lynus here extra special. Promise.”

Lynus winced when, despite the choke hold, Avith sent him a rather flirty wink.

“You just got out of the hospital,” Axel snarled at Avith. “What me to put you back?”

“Now now, that isn’t how comrades are supposed to treat each other.”

“What do you know about comradeship?!”

Lynus winced and looked over to Hamza. Really, he wanted to ask him. He really thought having Avith be a part of their guild was a good idea? Rahas, ok, he could deal with. But Avith?

If he really thought about it…It was probably for the best. Last night proved how reckless and immature Avith truly was. He needed a guiding hand to ensure that he won’t put any more lives at risk. Hamza was experienced at training novice explorers. Under his watchful gaze, Avith was sure to mature. Right?

But, then again…

Avith had better watch himself. After all, there were a lot of pits and dead ends in the Labyrinth that no one liked to talk about.


End file.
